TEMPLE

Board reviewing floors, storage at Town Hall

TEMPLE — For the many local groups that make use of the Town Hall as a meeting space, storage has long been an issue — one the Town Hall Advisory Committee and the Select Board have decided to address.

Committee representatives met with the Select Board at their April 23 meeting to discuss the issue of lack of space. They also asked the board to approve the use of funds to continue maintaining the floor of the Town Hall.

The cost of buffing and putting a sealing coat on the floor will be about $800, said committee member Dick Benotti. Select Board Chair John Kieley pointed out that the floor had just been treated the year before, and asked if it was necessary to treat it again.

Committee member Connie Kieley replied that when it had been treated last year, the Town Hall Advisory Committee had been informed it was a process that would have to be repeated again this year, and the Town Hall Advisory Committee had budgeted for the cost.

“If we wait another year, it’s going to get bad again,” she told the board.

John Kieley said he didn’t have any objection, but would like to view the Town Hall floor and make an assessment before approving the refinishing.

“My inclination is to do it, if it needs if, but I think it’s wise to review it every year, and not just do it,” he said.

The board decided to take a look at the floor prior to their next Select Board meeting and making a final decision.

Another issue facing the Town Hall is storage space, Benotti said. Several groups who routinely use the space have requested to leave materials there over the years, such as the Historical Society and Temple Band, and there is only a limited amount of space for storage, he said.

John Kieley suggested that storage space could be added on the top floor. The beams on the top floor had been reinforced when the town was exploring the option of adding air conditioning to the Town Hall, and it wouldn’t be overly expensive to put down plywood and create extra storage space in that area, he said.

Benotti said that if that was the solution, he would like to see the storage area properly walled off and a set of stairs properly put in, to avoid liability issues.

John Kieley also suggested building or purchasing a prefabricated shed for storage, such as the Fire Department has used in the past.

Select Board member Gail Cromwell requested that the Town Hall Committee ask all of the groups that use the building to make an itemized list of everything they would like to store at the building, to determine how much space would be needed before making any decision on how to solve the issue. The rest of the board agreed to move forward with that plan.

In other Town Hall news, the Town Hall Committee decided, with the Select Board’s approval, to put the piano that is currently in the Town Hall up for donation. No one ever uses it, Connie Kieley told the board. Anytime the Town Hall has an event where music is provided, artists usually prefer to use their own portable keyboard.

John Kieley suggested that the piano go to whomever agreed to remove it from the Town Hall in as-is condition, on a first-come, first-served basis. The piano will remain in the Town Hall until it is claimed, the board agreed.

The Temple Select Board meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month in the Town Hall Annex at 5:30 p.m.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter at @AshleySaari.